thoughts, inspiration, devotions and recipes from my journey in the far north

This is the big one! March 4, 2010

Yes, I am finally able to write this without grimacing. Seriously, it has taken me 3 months or more to be able to be ok with becoming 40! You can ask my friends if you don’t believe me.

My birthday is on the 9th and I have already begun celebrating my birthday beginning with a delicious lunch with a friend last Saturday. There are more celebrations to come this Saturday and then of course on my actual birthday. So I’m looking forward to what’s ahead.

One of the reasons I have been so reluctant to acknowledge that I am turning 40 is because while I know it is just a number, it also has so many things attached to it, positive and negative, that I have had to ‘deal with’ these past few months. By ‘deal with’, I mean come to terms with those positive and negative things that have much to do with public perceptions and expectations.

My aunt reminded me that I am a young-looking 40-year-old, which is true, and that I needed to focus on that, the positives in my life right now and things I have been able to accomplish…and if I focused on the negatives and made the whole turning 40 thing a downer, that’s how others would see me. Great advice don’t you think.

Last year I started the Locking In blogs focusing first with the concept of joy…and to be honest joy and joyfulness have been etched into my character because of that first focus. And, joyful is how I should be right now as I embark on my 40th year!

So with this in mind, I am joyfully looking forward to what this year will bring and what I will bring to it–I can’t wait for what’s ahead!